המועדפים של brewbooks

haha, AI thought this must be a snake. shows how massive the underground stem/rhizome/root system must be on these plants, at least older plants. normally only the leafy rosette tips would be exposed, but this plant was disturbed by hikers over time on a steep scree slope. the exposed root is still firmly embedded in soil at the bottom of the first photo, so who knows how large it really is.

Small to medium small Lomatium with highly dissected leaves with strong 3-D leaf structure, nearly cylindrical linear leaflets with sharp tips and smooth to minutely rough surface, often appearing somewhat glaucous. Leaf tips are similar to L. cuspidatum, but not as prominently cusped. General plant appearance is like a more gracile, fluffier L. cuspidatum. Ridged flower stem and leaf peduncles, glabrous or nearly so, with yellow flowers of typical Lomatium type. Lower floral umbel unadorned, upper umbels with long narrow bracts. Flower stem is stout and seems to be usually dark red at base and then grades to green below the primary umbel branch point. Flower stem upright to angled, usually not prostrate as with some small Lomatiums. I have not yet seen mature fruits.

Grows in marginal dry habitat in shallow rocky soil, but can be very abundant there (photo 6). Narrow range in central Washington from 500 to 1000 meters.

Also see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/158358571

Last shot gives context, more developed soil than the others I saw. Leaves still opening out so not as obviously flat as in other observations.

This trail might have a bad rep for hikers because it is designed mostly for mountain bikers, but on an early Saturday morning I saw only two bikers and there are quite a few places where there is a foot trail that runs along the thrill-seeking bank turns etc. I did it from the "end" of the loop (start on the east side), which might be best for reduced bike traffic since they have to cycle up a long ways before reaching this section. It is a delightful trail.

L. roneorum is larger and more densely bushy than most L. cuspidatum, with flatter leaves and less prominent or no leaflet cusp, yellow flowers, different narrow range (Chumstick Formation and adjacent gneiss rock).

A very small spider found on the back of a fern leaf. Second photo shows the position it was in when I found it. It eventually moved around and showed more of itself. As @harsiparker would want, I put it back where I found it.

Tentative ID is one iNat suggested.

Photo taken: Scenic Dog Run, Lethbridge, Alberta

GPS: 49.6820133333 lat, -112.8370883333 lon

Identification: Coryphantha vivipara

Family: Cactaceae

Authority: (Nutt.) Britt. & Rose

Associated spp.: Poacea (spp.)

Description: Covered in spines, pink corolla, no leaves present. 5 cm tall.

Habitat: Dry coulee grasslands. Top of the slope, west facing.

Ramalina terebrata Hook. f. & Taylor (Figs. 26-27)
This fruticose, pale yellow-green lichen (usnic acid) has the branches flattened and devoid of a central axis (present in Usnea), with pseudocyphellae that eventually become hollow. Usually found near bird colonies.

Pseudocyphellae (singular pseudocyphella) are structures in lichens that appear as tiny pores on the outer surface (the cortex of the lichen. They are caused when there is a break in the cortex of the lichen, and the medullary hyphae extend to the surface. Pseudocyphellae are the same colour as the medulla of the lichen, which is generally white, but can be yellow in some species of Pseudocyphellaria and in Bryoria fremontii. The presence/absence, abundance, colour, and shape of pseudocyphellae can all be diagnostic features used to identify different species. They facilitate gas exchange through the surface of the lichen, and may provide an adaptive advantage in temperate environments.
Reference picture in:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235975887_Lichens_on_the_Maritime_Antarctica_A_small_field_guide_for_some_common_species

Ramalina flaccidissima (Ramalinaceae) is the correct name for the lichen taxon currently known as R. terebrata
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0028825X.2020.1734031?journalCode=tnzb20
"The two frequent Ramalina species in southern South America are R. laevigata Fr., which has abundant apothecia, and R. terebrata Hook. f. & Taylor, which lacks apothecia but has abundant sorediate pseudocyphellae. However, two other taxa that predate Hooker and Taylor’s name were described from the Falkland Islands. These names are investigated here and R. flaccidissima Bory is shown to be the correct name for R. terebrata."

A small mother with two young. My first time to see elephants in the wild, a very memorable sight. I saw many more elephants in the next few days but I won't forget the first.

Tarangire National Park Tanzania

On NF-5620 to Dingford Creek Trailhead, this small apparent sword fern die off area occurs under closed canopy on the roadside; hemlocks to east and west and deciduous above to the north and south along the road.  There is clear evidence of die off on the east (uphill) side only, on either side of a gentle ditch which doesn’t appear to be a recent disturbance.

One plant chosen for rehydration tests. First 3 photos are in the field showing appearance and context. Next photos are views of sampled fronds that grew this spring (2022) as they appeared at home (aka "the lab") a few hours after sampling, or same from the dead looking blackish fronds that are presumably from earlier years. Combined with other observations, the frond life cycle at this site seems to be: new frond initiation and growth in spring (April/May, probably shortly after snow melt), dehydration by late summer (but still viable), rehydration with fall rain, survival over winter and the following spring and continued photosynthesis, and finally frond death during dry summer (but not abcission). In the plant here, the tan fronds are this year's viable dried fronds and the gray-black fronds below are dead fronds from previous year(s). The spring condition of the previous year's fronds can be seen in https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117790263, where they constitute much of the plant and appear plump and dark green and presumably contributing to plant metabolism (the paler partially unfolded fronds are from spring 2022). Presumably the extent and timing of viable frond dehydration varies depending on summer water availability. It is possible that some fronds survive two winters, but that seems unlikely. In the site images here, the green color that appears to be associated with the dead fronds is from mosses just behind the fronds.